Improved explosive compound



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TAL. P. SHAFFNER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVED EXPLOSIVE COMPOUND.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 98,427, dated December28, 1869.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TALIAFERRO P. SHAFF- NER, of the city of Louisville,county of Jefferson, State of Kentucky, have discovered or invented anew and useful Improved Explosive Compound; and I declare the followingto be a full and exact descriptionthereot'.

The nature of my invention consists in the use of gun-cotton treatedwith nitro-glycerine, thus making an explosive substance of vast use lorartillery and blasting purposes.

By preference I take one pound of gun-cotton or other nitrated fiber andsaturate it well and evenly by pressure or otherwise with one pound,more or less, of nitro-glycerine.

This compoundname1y, gun-cotton and nitroleum-will have a greasyappearance and moist, and it may be handled with perfect safety. Itcannot be exploded by an ordinary blow, nor can it be ignited by aspark.

If the gun-cotton thus saturated is closely packed it will require theheat of the usual devices required to explode nitro-glycerine.

By this arrangement four important considerations are obtained, namely:First, the explosive force of the nitro-glyoerine is secured incombination with the gun-cotton or explosive substance of high power,thus economizing the space in the drill-hole for blasting more than canbe efiected by the use of a non-exploding substance as an absorbent,explosive powers being considered; second, a gun-cotton cartridge thussaturated may be handled with security, as no ordinary force striking itcan explode it; third, the

compound may be placed in water and stored for an indefinite period andits explosive power not disturbed, and it may be shipped in waterthroughout the world and will not be subject to decomposition, nor willit be possible to explode it by fire in case it should be subjected to aconflagration; fourth, in charging a drill-hole with a cartridge of thiscompound the hole may be tamped with more safety than can beaccomplished in the use of blasting-powder.

It must be remembered as principles of science that gun-cotton, simple,will explode by 266 of Fahrenheit, and that nitroleum will explode at360 Fahrenheit. The former will explode by a spark, but the latter willnot; that the latter, however, will explode by percussion at a degreeunknown precisely, as is the case with the fulminates. But when the twoare thus compounded or united, neither will explode by spark, neitherwill explode by percussion, and the gun-cotton cannot be exploded underthe degree of heat required to explode the nitro-glycerine.

I am aware that nitro-glycerine has been mixed with gunpowder, andpatented some years ago in Europe, but that compound assumes a plasticor a mixture that requires a casing to hold it in shape.

Having thus described my invention sufficientlyclear and distinct tomake others skilled in the sciences and arts to which it belongs to makeand use the same, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patentas my discovery and invention, are

1. The combination of gun-cotton or other high-explosive substance withnitro glycerine,

in the manner substantially as hereinbefore.

described.

2. The combination of guncotton or other elastic explosive substancewith nitroglycerine, in the manner substantially as he reinbeforedescribed.

3. The combination of nitrated fiber, of whatsoever form or texture,with nitro-glycerine, in the manner substantially as herein beforedescribed.

4. The combination of twisted, compressed, loose, or other conditionednitrated or explosive fiber, with nitro-glycerine, in the mannersubstantially as hereinbefore destribcd.

TAL. P. sHAEENEE.

Witnesses:

MERWIN DEVEAU, NATHANIEL GILL.

